BIG MAC GETS HIS KICKS FROM PLAYING IN DIVISION 2
a reason, that we got there on merit.’
Overall, McEneaney can’t wait to pit his wits at this level against the likes of Cork and Roscommon.
‘I’m looking forward to it. The same as last year when we were up from Division 4, you are coming up against better-quality teams and it’s a good way to see the standard,’ said the Geraldines forward.
‘We are still a relatively young team - not necessarily myself! - and there’s a lot of younger lads who are in their first, second or third year and it’s good for them to get a judge of where they are at.
‘You’ve seen them at club level and played against them, when you meet them up in Darver you wonder how they’ll get on and a lot of them have really pushed on.
‘I suppose you do feel a responsibility to help younger lads and give them advice. When I came in I was 22 and there was an awful lot of lads who had been there for years, but there’s a great mix now.
‘You don’t want anyone taking your spot, but everyone gets on really well and that’s important if you’re going to be successful.’
Turning his thoughts back to next Sunday, McEneaney is predicting a high-tempo encounter, perhaps a fiery one - although at this time of year the Drogheda pitch is unlikely to lend itself to attractive football.
‘It’s going to be tight, it’s a local derby and us and Down is always fiercely competitive. We played them in a friendly last year before Christmas and even that boiled over, so I think it will be an edgy affair.
‘With Pete McGrath and Declan Mussen being Down men they’ll want us to put in a good performance and we want to put a stamp on Division 2 as early as we can because it’s important to hit the ground running.
‘I’m sure I’m not going out on a limb by saying that the pitch in Drogheda is going to be soft, the way the weather has been, so it’ll probably turn into a bit of a dogfight.
‘It might come down to the last five or 10 minutes and who has the character to dig out a result.’